Turn the heat to high under a large deep skillet and add the lamb a little at a time, breaking it into small pieces as you do. Stir and break up the meat a bit more, then add the cooked lentils. Keep the high heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils begin to brown and pop, 5 to 10 minutes. Don't worry if the mixture sticks a bit, but if it begins to scorch, lower the heat slightly.

Add the cumin, chile, and garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the reserved lentil liquid and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Season with salt and pepper, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook until the mixture is no longer soupy but not dry.

Stir in the olive oil, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Garnish with cilantro if you like, and serve immediately, with yogurt and rice or pita bread.

Loved this dish so much I've made it twice! I also used the recipe's main ingredients for an impromptu stew and everyone loved it. If I recreate the stew, I'll be sure to take notes and post it. Thanks for the inspiration!

This looks yummy, although it is very hard for me to add meat to lentils, I am a Jordanian and grew up eating lentils with soups, salads Mujadara and other vegetarian dish, but the mix of meat and lentils is intriguing, I will give it a try for sure. http://procrastinatorcook...

Also every palate is different -- I'm a definite flavor slut (can't get enough ;). If I make again I'll try a chili instead of powder and adding bayleaf and garlic to cooking lentils -- maybe even a preserved lemon? In the meantime I'll try the lamb with orzo. Thanks!

Just noting that about 6 comments down, you called this "tasty." But you also made some adjustments to the recipe without trying the recipe as is, so let's be fair. Still, I agree the Greek Lamb with Orzo is great!

I made this tonight as have been dreaming of it for weeks. It was a little bland (I blame myself, not the recipe). I used chili powder and did salt liberally with french sea salt at the end but I wonder if I missed a trick to make it have a deeper flavor?

So good! I'm just starting a Body Cleanse diet and need to keep dairy and red meat to a minimum. This did the trick without going cold turkey. Besides, I'm following up the two week cleanse with the Mediterranean diet. This will stay on the menu. I added a little bay leaf and garlic to the lentils while cooking to give them a little zing. The bay is a nice touch.

Tasty. I used 1 tsp ancho chili powder plus 1/2 tsp chipotle powder. It was spicy without too much heat. I used white wine instead of the lentil water -- it was a bit too tart, so I added some plain water (1/2 c). Still a bit dry, but the yoghurt helped ameliorate that.

Whole Foods has "French" lentils in the bulk section. They look like de Puy lentils but they're grown in Canada. They're also MUCH cheaper -- less than $3/pound. Real French lentils are about twice that.

Some people simmer them like rice with a precise amount of liquid. You can cook them like pasta -- bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lentils and simmer until just cooked through, then drain the lentils reserving a cup or two of the cooking liquid.